Feeler-loom



J. NORTHROP.

FEELEH LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. I, 1919.

1 ,361,89D latente Bec. 149 192g,

Z SHEETS-*SHEET l.

J. NOHTHROP.

FEELER LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. I, 1919.

1,361,898, Patented De@.14,1920.

Z0 72655.' L www UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JONAS NORTHROP, OF HOPEDALE, INIASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HOPEDALE MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF MILFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION 0F MASSA- CHUSETTS.

runnen-LOOM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

Original application filed August 3, 1916, Serial No. 112,921. Divided and this application led November 1, 1919.

`To all whom t may concern.:

Be it knownv that I, JONAS NoRTHRoP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hopedale, in the lcounty of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeler-Looms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to an improvement in feeler looms.

The object of the invention is to produce a feeler loom having means of improved construction for causing loom stoppage when the filling feeler mechanism indicates critical exhaustion of filling and the weft replenishing mechanism, because of an improperly boxed shuttle, or for some other reason, is prevented from inserting a fresh supply of filling in the shuttle on the next succeeding beat-up of the lay. To the accomplishment of this object, the present invention resides in the loom hereinafter described and particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the weft replenishing side of the loom, looking from the right, showing the application of the improved stop mechanism, thereto, the parts of the stop mechanism being shown in the positions held by them during normal weaving; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the positions of the parts during normal replenishment and Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the positions of the' parts when because of an improperly boxed shuttle the weft replenishing mechanism is prevented from operating.

The feeler loom to which the various mechanisms of the present invention are ap plied may be of any usual or preferred form. The loom of which a portion is shown in the illustrated embodiment of the invention is provided with a weft repleni'shing mechanism including a hopper 12 and with a filling feeler mechanism (not shown), yoperatively connected therewith. The construction and operation of these parts are preferably those illustrated and described in my copending application for improve- Serial No. 334,934.

ments in feeler looms, Serial No. 112,921, f iled August 3, 1916, from which the sub- ]ect matter of the present application is divided.

The filling detector is connected with the stop shaft, which in turn is connected at the other side of the loom with the shipper. lV hen the filling detector detects filling absence, it operates in the usual manner to cause an oscillation of the stop shaft, by which the shipper is disconnected from its holding notch and the loom thereby stopped. Secured to the right-hand end of the stop shaft is an arm 20,'on the upper end of which is pivoted a stop mechanism latch 21, which, when the shuttle is improperly boxed on the weft replenishing beat-up of the lay, is adapted to be brought into the path of a stop bunter 22 secured to the front side of the lay 23, and thereby cause an oscillation of the stop shaft to stop the loom. 1t is thus seen that the feeler loom of the present invention has provision whereby it may be stopped whenever filling absence occurs, and whenever filling replenishment has been called for by critical exhaustion of filling and the replenishing operation' is prevented from taking place because of an improperly boxed shuttle. The occurrence of mispicks and thin places' resulting from trailing threads is therefore prevented, since the pick may be matched The improved stop mechanism is described as follows: The stop latch 21 is pivoted at 70 on the upper end of the arm 2O fixed on the stop shaft 15. A compression spring .71 is interposed between the arm 2O and the stop latch 21 and tends normally to hold the latch in raised position, as shown in Fig. 1, with the shoulder 72 thereof pressed against the shoulder 7 3 formed on the upper end of the arm 20. The lower end of the spring 71 is seated in a pocket 711 in the front side of the arm 20, and the upper end of the spring 71 is seated in a pocket formed in a boss 75 on the stop latch. During normal weaving the rearward notched end 76 of the stop latch, with which the bunter 22 is adapted to engage in the event of an improperly boxed shuttle, is above the path of motion of the stop bunter 22, as shown in Fig. 1.

When the filling feeler mechanism detects critical exhaustion of filling andthe change arm 37 is swung to the right, viewing Fig. 1, and to the right, viewing Figs. 2 and 3, the usual shuttle feeler 78 is thrown rearwardl toward the lay so as to be encountered oy the shuttle in case the latter should not be fully within the box in a position to receive the filled bobbin. The shuttle feeler 78 is pivoted on a stud 79 secured in the hopper plate 80. A link 8l pivotally con- Iiectedat 82 with the upper end of the shuttle feeler connects the shuttle feeler with a lifter operating arm 83 pivotally supported on a stud 84 fixed in the hopper plate 80. The lifter operating arm is yieldingly connected to the change arm 37 .by means of a spring 86. At the same time that the shuttle feeler 78 is swung rearwardly toward the lay when the change arm 37 is oscillated on indication of critical exhaustion of filling the usual *transfe-rrer latch 88 is swung upwardly into the path of motion of the bunter 89 secured to the front of the lay. rIhe transferrer latch 88 is pivoted on the lower end of an arm 90 depending from the hub 91 of the transferrer lever or hammer 92, which is fulcrumed on the stud 84. A spring (not shown) encircling the stud normally maintains the transferrer hammer 92 in raised position.v Secured. to the hub of the lifter operating arm and depending downwardly therefrom is a lifter 95 provided at its lower end with a slot 96 which is adapted to engage a pin 97 projecting laterally from the housing in which the transferrer latch 88 is adjustably ree.

ceived. -When the change arm 37 swingso ,to the left,'viewing Fig. 1, and the lifter operating arm 83 is swung to the left with it by means of the .spring connection 86, the lifter 95 is swung upwardly and by engagement with the pin 97 presents the latch 88 in the path of the bunter 89.

If the shuttle is properly boxed on the replenishing beat-up of the lay, the bunter 89 striking the latch 88 acts to depress the transferrer hammer 92 inthe usual mannerl and thereby insert a filled bobbin into the shuttle 16, at the same time ejecting the depleted bobbin. But if the shuttle is not properly boxed on the replenishing beat-up of the lay, the part of the shuttlevprojecting out of the shuttle box will encounter the shuttle feeler 78, and as the lay beats forward the pressure of the shuttle against. the

lower end of the shuttle feeler will swing the shuttle feeler about its pivot and through its connection with the lifter operating arm cause the latter to swing to the rightyviewing Fi 1, thereby depressingl the lifter and throug the engagement of the lifter with the latch 88 swinging the latch downwardly out of the path of motion of the bunter 89. As the latch 88 is swinging downwardlyinto inoperative position, the end of the pin 97 encounters a ledge 100 formed on the lower side of the stop latch 21 and projecting laterally therefrom, thereby depressing the stop latch into the path of motion of the stop bunter-22, the lyielding connection between the stop latch 21 and the arm 20 permitting this downward movement of the latch. Then as the lay continues its forward movement, the bunter 22 encountering the notched end 76 of the stop latch acts to oscillate the arm 20 and the stop shaft 15 and thereby cause loom stoppage. The present stop mechanism for causing loom stoppage, in the event of an improperly boxed shuttle on the replenishing beat-up of the lay, is thus seen to be simple in construction and efiicient in operation.

Having thus described the nature and scope of the present invention, what is claimed is 1. A loom having, in combination, a lay, a shuttle, a weft replenishing mechanism, loom stopping means, and a stop mechanism including a stop bunter mounted on the lay, a stop shaft, a stop latch connected therewith, normally out of the path of the stop bunter, and means connected with the weft replenishing mechanism for positioning the stop latch in the path of the stop bunter when the weft replenishing operation is initiated and the weft Areplenishing mechanism -is prevented from completing the operation.

2.v A loom having, in combination, a lay,

a shuttle, a weft replenishing mechanism "pat-h of the bunter when the shuttle feeler -is struck by an improperly boxed shuttle.

3. A loom'having, in combination, a lay, a shuttle, a weft replenishing mechanism including a shuttle feeler, and a transferrer latch adapted to be raised when the weft replenishing operation is initiated, connections between the shuttle feeler and the transferrer latch whereby the latter is lowered when the former is struck by an improperly boxed shuttle, anda stop mechanism having provisionrfor stopping the loom, comprising a reciprocating stop bunter, a stop latch normally out of the path of the bunter, and operative connections between the transferrer latch and the stop latch whereby the latter is positioned in the path of the stop bunter to cause loom stoppage when the transferrer latch is lowered.

4. A loom having, in combination, a lay, a shuttle, a weft replenishing mechanism including a reciprocating transferrer bunter, a transferrer latch arranged to be in the path of the transferrer bunter when 1the weft replenishing operation is initiated, and

a shuttle eeler, connections between the shuttle feeler and the transferrer latch havng provision for removing the latter from the path of the transferrer bunter When the shuttle feeler is struck by an improperly boxed shuttle on the replenshng beat-up of the lay, and a stop mechanism having provision for causing loom stoppage comprising a reciprocating stop bunter, a stop latch arranged to be normally out of the 10 path of the stop bunter, and means controlled by the transferrer latch for positioning the stop latch in the path of the stop bunter when the transferrer latch is removed from the path of the transferrer 15 bunter.

JONAS NORTHROP. 

